Bracteantha plant named ‘Flobrabla’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Bracteantha  plant named ‘Flobrabla’, characterized by its upright, compact and uniformly rounded plant habit; freely branching habit; dense and bushy appearance; freely flowering habit; numerous inflorescences with showy golden yellow and rusty orange-colored involucral bracts; strong peduncles that hold the inflorescences above the foliar plane; and good garden performance.

Botanical designation: Bracteantha bracteata.

Cultivar denomination: ‘FLOBRABLA’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct plant of Bracteantha plant, botanically known as Bracteantha bracteata, and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Flobrabla’.

The new Bracteantha plant is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Redland Bay, Queensland, Australia. The objective of the program is to create and develop new compact and freely flowering Bracteantha plants with attractive inflorescence coloration and good summer performance.

The new Bracteantha plant originated from a cross-pollination conducted by the Inventor in January, 2009 of a proprietary selection of Bracteantha bracteata identified as code number 09-022, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with a proprietary selection of Bracteantha bracteata identified as code number 09-015, not patented, as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Bracteantha plant was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant from within the progeny of the stated cross-pollination in a controlled greenhouse environment in Redland Bay, Queensland, Australia in December, 2009.

Asexual reproduction of the new Bracteantha plant by vegetative cuttings in a controlled greenhouse environment in Redland Bay, Queensland, Australia since December, 2009 has shown that the unique features of this new Bracteantha plant are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the new Bracteantha have not been observed under all possible environmental conditions and cultural practices. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environmental conditions such as temperature, daylength and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Flobrabla’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Flobrabla’ as a new and distinct Bracteantha plant:

-   -   1. Upright, compact and uniformly rounded plant habit.     -   2. Freely branching habit; dense and bushy appearance.     -   3. Freely flowering habit.     -   4. Numerous inflorescences with showy golden yellow and rusty         orange-colored involucral bracts.     -   5. Strong peduncles that hold the inflorescences above the         foliar plane.     -   6. Good garden performance.

Plants of the new Bracteantha differ from plants of the female parent selection in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Bracteantha have shorter leaves than plants         of the female parent selection.     -   2. Inflorescences of plants of the new Bracteantha have fewer         involucral bracts than inflorescences of plants of the female         parent selection.     -   3. Involucral bracts of plants of the new Bracteantha are         flatter than involucral bracts of plants of the female parent         selection.     -   4. Involucral bracts of plants of the new Bracteantha and the         female parent selection differ in color.

Plants of the new Bracteantha differ from plants of the male parent selection in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Bracteantha have shorter and narrower         leaves than plants of the male parent selection.     -   2. Inflorescences of plants of the new Bracteantha have fewer         involucral bracts than inflorescences of plants of the male         parent selection.     -   3. Involucral bracts of plants of the new Bracteantha are         flatter than involucral bracts of plants of the male parent         selection.     -   4. Involucral bracts of plants of the new Bracteantha and the         male parent selection differ in color.

Plants of the new Bracteantha can be compared to plants of the Bracteantha bracteata ‘Flobrafla’, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 16,950. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Redland Bay, Queensland, Australia, plants of the new Bracteantha differed from plants of ‘Flobrafla’ in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Bracteantha were not as dense as plants of         ‘Flobrafla’.     -   2. Plants of the new Bracteantha had narrower leaves than plants         of ‘Flobrafla’.     -   3. Inflorescences of plants of the new Bracteantha had more         involucral bracts than inflorescences of plants of ‘Flobrafla’.     -   4. Plants of the new Bracteantha and ‘Flobrafla’ differed in         involucral bract color.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying photographs illustrate the overall appearance of the new Bracteantha plant showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photographs may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors of the new Bracteantha plant.

The photograph at the bottom of the sheet comprises a side perspective view of a typical flowering plant of ‘Flobrabla’ grown in a container.

The photograph at the top of the sheet is a close-up view of a typical flowering plant of ‘Flobrabla’.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The aforementioned photographs and following observations, measurements and values describe plants grown during the late autumn in one-gallon containers in an outdoor nursery in Bonsall, Calif. under cultural practices typical of commercial Bracteantha production. During the production of the plants, day temperatures ranged from 27° C. to 32° C., night temperatures ranged from 20° C. to 24° C. and light levels ranged from 6,000 to 8,000 foot-candles. Plants were three months old when the photographs and the description were taken. In the description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 2007 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

-   Botanical classification: Bracteantha bracteata ‘Flobrabla’. -   Parentage:     -   -   Female, or seed, parent.—Proprietary selection of             Bracteantha bracteata identified as code number 09-022, not             patented.         -   Male, or pollen, parent.—Proprietary selection of             Bracteantha bracteata identified as code number 09-015, not             patented. -   Propagation:     -   -   Type.—Vegetative cuttings.         -   Time to initiate roots, summer.—About three to four weeks at             temperatures about 30° C.         -   Time to initiate roots, winter.—About four to five weeks at             temperatures about 20° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted young plant, summer.—About eight             weeks at temperatures about 30° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted young plant, winter.—About ten to             twelve weeks at temperatures about 20° C.         -   Root description.—Fine, fibrous; pale brown in color.         -   Rooting habit.—Freely branching; medium density. -   Plant description:     -   -   Plant and growth habit.—Upright, compact and uniformly             rounded plant habit; dense and bushy appearance and             inflorescences held above and beyond the foliar plane on             strong peduncles; vigorous growth habit.         -   Plant height.—About 16.4 cm.         -   Plant diameter or spread.—About 37 cm.         -   Lateral branches.—Quantity per plant: Freely branching habit             with about three primary branches each with about twelve             lateral branches; pinching enhances lateral branch             development. Length: About 16 cm. Diameter: About 6 mm.             Internode length: About 1.3 cm. Aspect: Mostly upright to             outwardly. Strength: Strong. Texture: Minute pubescence.             Color: Close to 145B.         -   Foliage description.—Arrangement: Alternate, simple;             sessile. Length: About 10.5 cm. Width: About 1.5 cm. Shape:             Lanceolate to elliptic. Apex: Acute. Base: Truncate. Margin:             Entire; slightly revolute. Texture, upper and lower             surfaces: Minute pubescence. Venation pattern: Pinnate.             Color: Developing leaves, upper surface: Close to 146C.             Developing leaves, lower surface: Close to 146C to 146D.             Fully expanded leaves, upper surface: Close to 147A;             venation, close to 147C. Fully expanded leaves, lower             surface: Close to 146A; venation, close to 147C. -   Inflorescence description:     -   -   Inflorescence type and flowering habit.—Rotate composite             inflorescence form; involucral bracts and disc florets             developing acropetally on a capitulum; numerous             inflorescences positioned mostly upright above and beyond             the foliar plane on strong peduncles; terminal and axillary             inflorescences face mostly upright; freely flowering habit             with about 30 inflorescences developing per plant.         -   Fragrance.—Strong, sour scent.         -   Time to flower.—Plants begin flowering about three to six             weeks after planting; flower continuously from late spring             into the autumn in the California garden.         -   Post-production longevity.—Inflorescences maintain good             substance for about one to two weeks on the plant;             inflorescences persistent.         -   Inflorescence buds.—Height: About 1.7 cm. Diameter: About             1.2 cm. Shape: Roughly conical. Color: Close to 178A.         -   Inflorescence diameter.—About 4 cm.         -   Inflorescence depth (height).—About 2.7 cm.         -   Disc diameter.—About 1.7 cm.         -   Receptacle height.—About 1 cm.         -   Receptacle diameter.—About 1.8 cm.         -   Involucral bracts.—Length, largest bracts: About 1.4 cm.             Width, largest bracts: About 4 mm. Shape: Elliptical. Apex:             Acute. Base: Truncate. Margin: Entire. Texture, upper and             lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous; stiff, papery. Number of             involucral bracts per inflorescence: About 116 arranged in             about seven whorls. Color: When opening and fully opened,             upper surface: Towards the apex, close to 172B; mid-section,             close to N172B to N172C; towards the base, close to 23B.             When opening and fully opened, lower surface: Close to             N167C; towards the apex, close to 176A.         -   Disc florets.—Arrangement: Massed in the center of the             receptacle. Shape: Slender tubular; apex dentate,             five-pointed. Length: About 1.7 cm. Diameter: About 1 mm.             Number of disc florets per inflorescence: About 700 in             numerous tight whorls. Color, immature and mature: Towards             the apex, close to 21B; mid-section, close to 1C; towards             the base, close to 1D.         -   Peduncles.—Length, terminal peduncle: About 3.5 cm. Length,             third peduncle: About 1.6 cm. Length, fifth peduncle: About             5 mm. Diameter, terminal peduncle: About 6 mm. Strength:             Strong. Aspect: Upright to about 45° from lateral branch             axis. Texture: Minute pubescence. Color: Close to 145A.         -   Reproductive organs (present on disc florets             only).—Androecium: Arrangement: Fused anther tubes with five             anthers surrounding the style. Filament length: About 8 mm.             Filament color: Close to 145D. Anther length: About 2 mm.             Anther color: Close to 21A. Pollen amount: Scarce. Pollen             color: Close to 21A. Gynoecium: Pistil length: About 1.2 cm.             Stigma shape: Bi-parted; reflexed. Stigma color: Close to             21C. Style length: About 9 mm. Style color: Close to 145D.             Ovary color: Close to 157C.         -   Seeds and fruits.—Seed and fruit production has not been             observed on plants of the new Bracteantha. -   Disease & pest resistance: Plants of the new Bracteantha have not     been shown to be resistant to pathogens and pests common to     Bracteantha plants. -   Garden performance: Plants of the new Bracteantha have been observed     to have good garden performance and to tolerate rain, wind and     temperatures ranging from about 4° C. to about 35° C. 

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct Bracteantha plant named ‘Flobrabla’ as illustrated and described. 